• by November 15, 2001

Nielsen//NetRatings today launched its third annual Holiday eCommerce Index, which revealed that the online holiday shopping season officially started this past week, driven by a significant up tick in shopping at toy sites.

Similar to last year, this year's online holiday shopping season started the second week in November, but kicked off stronger than last year by increasing 14% as compared to 10% a year ago. Growth was calculated using the last full week in October as a shopping baseline.

Ecommerce categories spiked across the board last week, led by a 66% rise in shopping trips to toy sites. ToysRUs jumped 68%, while Lego.com rose 51%. KB Holdings, which includes KBKids and eToys, saw a 27% increase.

NetRatings says the key factors in launching this holiday shopping season are the use of sales and promotions to attract Web surfers.

Sean Kaldor, VP of analytical services at NetRatings, said, “Amidst an economic downturn, e-tailers are turning to tried and proven marketing strategies to attract consumers to the online channel. Free shipping, expected to be prevalent throughout the holiday season, has already been offered by major e-tailers, including Amazon.com, Target.com and Barnes & Noble.”